Applied Health Fitness Psychology Online CE Course

Course components can be delivered as printed products or online:

• Applied Health Fitness Psychology text
• Study guide
• Continuing education exam

Course Objectives

After completing this course, you should be able to

• define and differentiate among the concepts of applied health psychology, fitness psychology, and exercise psychology;
• explain the process of replacing these negative habits with healthier routines; and
• list the factors that reduce and improve an exerciser’s motivation.
• differentiate between stress and anxiety;
• outline the physical, cognitive, and emotional obstacles to changing unhealthy behavior patterns;
• identify the differences among personality traits, styles or orientations, and behavioral tendencies and know which are susceptible to change and which are not;
• understand the role of culture in maintaining health-promoting rituals and the implication of those cultural rituals for health professionals.
• identify the types of exercise adherence and compliance;
• explain the reasons why some people begin and maintain an exercise program while others drop out;
• set goals and teach proper goal-setting techniques to clients.
• determine the unique needs of various special populations that separate them from the so-called normal population when engaging in regular physical activity,
• provide strategies for eating more responsibly and strategically to improve energy, physical performance, and weight control.
• list the ethical issues that are common in most professional organizations.

Applied Health Fitness Psychology CE Course provides an understanding of the psychological factors that inhibit and promote physical activity and positive lifestyle behavior change in clients.

Gain insight to psychological motivational theories and models of exerciser behavior to help your clients establish and maintain positive attitudes, emotions, and behaviors for a healthy lifestyle. Barriers to positive health behavior plus personal, situational, cultural, spiritual, and environmental factors are also discussed. Health and fitness professionals, wellness coaches, personal trainers, dietitians, and allied health professionals will learn strategies for health behavior interventions, exercise compliance and adherence, cognitive and behavioral strategies, exercise goal setting, and leadership.

This continuing education course is supplemented by the text Applied Health Fitness Psychology, which covers theory, models of behavior, and instructions on using this knowledge when working with clients. Chapters address fitness counseling specific to special populations, dysfunctional eating behaviors, and professional ethics.

The course study guide includes a table of contents, course syllabus, learning objectives, end-of-chapter learning activities, case study, and referenced answer key to the study guide to assist students in applying the information to their specific work settings and personalizing strategies for individual clients. These tools also prepare students for the continuing education exam taken at the conclusion of the course.

Skills Active / REPs prerequisites can be found here:
www.HumanKinetics.com/partners/partners/SkillsActive

Mark H. Anshel, PhD, is a professor in the department of health and human performance with a joint appointment in the psychology department at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. He is the author of more than 135 research publications, four fitness books, and multiple editions of the text Sport Psychology: From Theory to Practice. His research since 2007 has concerned the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral model on exercise participation and adherence called the disconnected values model. Anshel is recognized as an international leader in providing evidence-based programs and linking research with practice in exercise and fitness psychology and sport psychology.

Over the course of his career, Anshel has gained hands-on experience consulting with more than 3,000 clients on healthy habits, particularly the use of exercise. His practical career experience began with seven years as a fitness director in community recreation. From 2000 to 2002 Anshel was a performance coach at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Florida, where he provided corporate clients with a cognitive-behavioral program on replacing unhealthy habits with more desirable lifestyle routines. He also was a performance consultant and researcher related to improving wellness and coping skills with the Murfreesboro Police Department from 2005 to 2011.

In 2009, Anshel received the Distinguished Research Scholar Award from Middle Tennessee State University. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 47, Exercise and Sport Psychology). He is founder and director of the Middle Tennessee State University Employee Health and Wellness Program, which received grant funding of $130,000 over two years. Anshel also served for 10 years on the editorial board of the Journal of Sport Behavior.